CFIB Urges Swift Action for Small Businesses

0:00The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is pressing federal, provincial, and territorial ministers to act fast at next week's Committee on Internal Trade Meeting. They want governments to turn recent trade progress into real wins for small businesses operating across borders. Their latest report highlights ongoing hurdles like repeated testing demands, mismatched regulations, and limits on shipping goods and services between provinces. Small business owners feel encouraged by some forward steps, but they're concerned that new rules could just swap out old problems for fresh ones. These roadblocks keep companies from expanding, hiring more, and strengthening the overall economy. One key advance is the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on selling goods, though uneven rollout and too many exceptions weaken it. Big challenges persist in services, food, alcohol sales, and worker mobility, especially with direct-to-consumer alcohol shipments due by May 20th. 26 most provinces lag behind, aside from New Brunswick and Manitoba.

1:04C-5B pushes for swift expansions to cover more areas, clear implementation without extra red tape, details on trucking deals, fixes for food, movement, and quicker alcohol timelines. As the voice for 103,000 members nationwide, they're set to keep the pressure on for a more unified market. I'm Corey with The Story, and you've been listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news.